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05/10/2005 . SENIOR CENTER TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER May 10, 2005 Present: Dr. William E. Haley Vice-Chair Rachel Bryan Task Force Member Reverend Herb Freitag Task Force Member Dolores "Dee" Fry Task Force Member Dr. William E. Hale Task Force Member Mayme Hodges Task Force Member David Nisivoccia Task Force Member Lynne E. Robinson Task Force Member Walt Schoenig Task Force Member Ron Whitcomb Task Force Member Michelle Rahn Attending in place of Chair Shade George Grazier Attending in place of Member Bethell Absent: Debra Shade Chair Evelyn R. Bethell Task Force Member Stuart Jonap Task Force Member Shirley Hill Moran Task Force Member Also present: Eleanor Breland Equity Services Director . Kathy Baird Senior Staff Assistant Dawn Lewellyn Recreation Supervisor Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. at the Long Center. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Approval of Minutes - April 26. 2005 Member Hale moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 26, 2005, as recorded and submitted in written summation to each Task Force member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 2. Resianations Member Fry reported her resignation from the position of Vice-Chair of the Task Force. Equity Services Director Eleanor Breland read Reverend James Lancaster's letter of resignation from the Task Force. No additional members will be appointed. . Task Force - Senior Center 2005-05-10 1 . 3. Election of Vice-Chair Member Schoenig moved to appoint William E Hailey as Vice-Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. 4. Presentations and Panel Discussion Jay Morgan, representing the Sunshine Center, City of Sl Petersburg Jay Morgan, representing the Sunshine Center, City of St. Petersburg, reviewed the background of senior centers in the City of St. Petersburg. The Sunshine Center serves as a one-stop resource center for 12% to 15% of the targeted population of seniors, with recreation and social activities, a senior training site, and office space provided to social service agencies. Should Clearwater approve a senior center, he recommended it seek accreditation from the National Institute of Senior Centers to help with the process of identifying needs. The Sunshine Center has four FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) staff positions and three part- time. The center earns approximately $14,000 annually on room rentals. Mr. Morgan reviewed Center efforts to work with schools and recreation programs. In one St. Petersburg facility, a senior and a teen center coexist in one building. Increased staffing during three months of summer is necessary as scheduling conflicts occur. The City of St. Petersburg's three small senior centers, located in parklands, offer fee class activities including some intergenerational classes in the summer, but do not have gyms or pools. . Mr. Morgan said the location of the Sunshine Center is important. He anticipated the need for senior drop-off programs will increase. He reported Neighborly Senior Services provides bus transportation for seniors but its program lacks adequate funding. He said Clearwater needs to determine what it wants its senior center to be, what services and recreation activities it wants to provide, and if satellite centers are necessary. He recommended the center be located close to seniors. Programs in St. Petersburg are designed to meet the needs of individual communities. Mr. Morgan reviewed the background of the Sunshine Center's snack bar, which is operated year-round by volunteers, and costs little to run. He said the snack bar offers great value and provides an opportunity to socialize. He said the National Institute of Senior Centers and Florida Institute of Senior Centers offer significant information. He reported the City of St. Petersburg budgets $280,000 annually for its Senior Centers and collects $90,000 in fees. Peg Cummings, representing the City of Dunedin Senior Activity Center Peg Cummings, representing the City of Dunedin Senior Center, reviewed the expansion of the City of Dunedin's Senior Center to the current Hale's Activity Center and the City's involvement in the Elder Ready Program. She discussed facility attributes and programs, emphasizing the popularity of life-long learning. To meet changing sensibilities, the center dropped "senior" from its name and designed its facility to be non-institutional in appearance. The volunteer program is popular and an important part of the center. . Ms. Cummings said the City of Dunedin had shifted most senior activities to the Hale's Activity Center, but senior programming still is provided at the city swimming pool. The center Task Force - Senior Center 2005-05-10 2 . has four FTE staff positions plus help for rentals and reception. Custodian duties are shared with other city facilities. The center earns approximately $28,000 annually on room rentals. Ms. Cummings reviewed Dunedin's formation of subcommittees that considered intergenerational issues and ways to connect generations and strengthen the community. Scheduled activities supported mixing generations. Dunedin is only 10-squaremiles in size and can support a single center, which is located on a bus line, used by some clients. The Center also reached out to mobile home parks, which transport residents to the center via bus. The Center works to attract a diverse population by holding special celebrations. It attracts ages between 50 and 90, including Hispanic and African-American residents. Ms. Cummings said food is an important component of the Hale Activity Center, with popular theme related activities such as a dinner theater and teas, which encourage community energy, involvement, and support. She said it is important that the city partner with groups to assist in running the center. She reported the City of Dunedin budgets $310,000 annually for the Senior Activity Center and collects $92,000 in fees. Bob Wittenberg, representing Clearwater Senior Citizens Services Center . Bob Wittenberg, representing Clearwater Senior Citizens Services Center, said the non- profit center had served Clearwater for 45 years before closing. He reviewed problems related to its closing: 1) Programs and activities were not modified to address the changing tastes of a new generation of seniors; 2) Membership fees were not raised to keep pace with increased costs; 3) Privately funded status discouraged pursuit of outside funding even as overhead increased; and 4) Center had minimum resources outside of Trust Fund. He said the Center served the community well by promoting opportunities for seniors to serve as volunteers, providing them a sense of well being while they serve the community and remained active. Programs included recreation, games, education, crafts, travel, and referrals to other community programs and employment. Socialization was an important component. The Center also provided space for AARP tax preparation, health fairs, safe-driving site, etc. It was stated that in retrospect, the Center should have pursued other avenues of revenue. Mr. Wittenberg said the facility housed programming space and a retail craft- consignment store. The trust fund covered up to one-half of the Center's annual budget of $325,000 for programming, excluding the tour department. Approximately 70% of the budget went to staff costs. The facility has not been sold and resources remain in place. He said the board remains open-minded about the Center's future status and opportunity to serve Clearwater. Mr. Wittenberg said transportation is key and needs to be considered when determining a location. Some members are able to drive or carpool. The Center's Court Street location is too far from the Downtown bus terminal for some. He said the Center did not adequately pursue the needs of low-income seniors. . In response to a suggestion that the City of Clearwater locate its senior centers in existing centers, Mr. Morgan said future capacity needs to be considered as an influx of seniors is predicted. Ms. Cummings said the adult population wants its own center with its own identity, feel, and activities, where a friendly face, of similar age, welcomes them. Mr. Morgan said Task Force - Senior Center 2005-05-10 3 . . . senior centers now serve three generations. Use of the name "senior" is part of a national debate. The quality of the product and focus on senior issues are important. 5. Committee Member Presentations Task Force Member Robinson reported she had visited the Hale Activity Center in Dunedin and complimented its attractiveness. She said Center volunteers are excited about the well-used facility. She said the facility offered more programs than she had anticipated. Task Force Member Fry said the Palm Harbor Senior Center has successful intergenerational and pet programs. Vice-Chair Haley distributed and reviewed "Needs of Older Adults and Clearwater Demographics." An overview of national statistics on aging and the needs of older adults projects significant increases in populations older than 65 and smaller increases among those over 85. Life expectancies also are increasing. Chronic conditions affecting the senior population include hypertension, heart disease, arthritic symptoms, cancer, diabetes, stroke asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. A significant number of seniors cannot perform physical functions such as stoop/kneel, reach overhead, write, walk two-three blocks, or lift 10 pounds. Only a small percentage of Medicare enrollees over 65 who are chronically disabled are institutionalized. The percentage of those with moderate or severe memory impairment increases with age. Most seniors live in the traditional community (potential users), with women, 75 and over, being the largest percentage who live alone. Clearwater has the highest percentage (21.5%) of residents 65 years and over among cities greater than 100,000 in the United States, the highest median age (41.8), and the highest percentage (3.6%) of residents age 85 and over. One-third of City households have at least one member who is older than 65. In Clearwater, older adults are more likely to be highly educated, and more likely to be White, than older adults in Florida, or nationally. Clearwater older adults are similar in marital status and income to older adults nationally and in Florida. Clearwater's large population of those who are 50-64 should be considered for planning purposes as many people "age in place." A review of the percentage of selected racial/ethnic groups over age 65 indicates Clearwater has fewer Blacks and Hispanics than the state and national average, however, the City is becoming more diverse. Dr. Haley reviewed maps illustrating where Clearwater's senior populations are concentrated. Maps will be updated to identify County enclaves. The maps indicate pockets of seniors exist throughout the City, which may make it difficult to serve. The viability of a single center was questioned. It was noted that Top of the World has its own senior facilities. It was questioned if an affluent beach community would support a facility. It was suggested funding could focus on transportation issues. Dr. Haley said some depend on senior facilities for meals and socialization. For some, the senior facility is the only activity that draws them out of their homes. Task Member Hale distributed a memorandum regarding the closing of the facility housing Senior Citizens Services, Inc. 6. Old Business Task Force - Senior Center 2005-05-10 4 . Adoption of Rules of Procedure Ms. Breland distributed a draft of Rules of Procedure for consideration. The majority agreed that substitute attendees not be accorded voting rights. 7. Formation of Subcommittees and Volunteer Assianments - Continued 8. Discussion/Questions It was recommended that programming issues be considered at a later time and that the Task Force determine if the City should have a single facility or satellite facilities. The importance of transportation issues was stated. It was reported that the Neighborly Care Network offers transportation for the impaired, but funding is an issue. Meals on Wheels needs an additional dining site in Clearwater. Many seniors do not have access to hot meals. It was recommended that non-traditional funding sources be considered as well as services such as congregate dining. Funding sources were discussed, including the Older Americans Act. Concern was expressed that a senior center would need to attract the City's culturally diverse population. It was noted a growing need exists for senior day-care programs. It was recommended that a list of senior-related web sites, programs, and funding sources be generated. It was stated a gap analysis is needed. . It was reported that senior centers in Pasco County are non-profit and have had difficulties. It was stated the Palm Harbor facility had to merge with County recreation to be successful. The Palm Harbor facility offers a successful prescription delivery service. Information was requested regarding current offerings for seniors in Clearwater. It was recommended that a center could serve as a virtual resource for information on applying for benefits such as food stamps, etc. It was reported significant information regarding social services is available via "211." It was recommended the Task Force determine what a senior center should be, what it should do, types of services it should offer, a central location be identified, and who should operate it. It was noted the representatives all had supported a separate facility for seniors. It was recommended that Task Force members visit other senior centers. Staff will order for the Task Force copies of "Older Americans 2004; Key Ingredients to Well-Being," published by the Federal Interagency Forum on aging related statistics. The importance of selecting a visionary leader for a Clearwater senior center was stated as being key to the facility's success. . Task Force - Senior Center 2005-05-10 5 . . . The May 24, 2005, meeting will be held at Senior Citizens Services, at 940 Court Street. Additional meetings were scheduled for June 7,2005, at the Hale Activity Center, 330 Douglas Avenue, Dunedin and June 21,2005, at the Long Center. All meetings will convene at 9:00 a.m. 9. Adiournment . g adjourned at 11 :40 a.m. C~h. . air Task Force - Senior Center Task Force - Senior Center 2005-05-10 6